Prevalence of Suicidal Ideation and its Association with Depression and Self-Esteem Among Bangladeshi Youth: A Web-based Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: Suicidal ideation (SI) among youth represents a growing public health concern in Bangladesh, yet remains underexplored within the socio-cultural context of a low-resource setting. This study investigated the prevalence of SI and its associations with depression, self-esteem (SE), and socio-demographic factors among Bangladeshi youth. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among 514 participants (213 male, 301 female) aged 18–30 years across Bangladesh, selected through purposive convenience sampling. Data were collected via Google Forms and analyzed using SPSS v27. Validated Bangla versions of the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used. Associations were examined using chi-square tests and effect sizes reported with Cramer’s V. Results: The study found an alarming prevalence of SI, with 50.4% reporting moderate and 19.1% reporting high levels. Depression showed a strong and statistically significant association with SI (χ 2 = 42.349, p < 0.001), underscoring its critical role. Additionally, age group (χ 2 = 10.873, p = 0.028), education level (χ 2 = 36.433, p < 0.001), income (χ 2 = 12.911, p = 0.044), and residential area (χ 2 = 9.086, p = 0.011) were significantly linked to SI. Contrary to expectations, SE was not significantly associated. Conclusion: This study reveals a significant mental health burden among Bangladeshi youth, with depression as a key predictor of SI. Urgent implementation of youth-centered mental health screening, culturally tailored interventions, and policy-level suicide prevention strategies is warranted to address this growing crisis.